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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the introduction of a Women’s Champions League for the 2024/25 season.

The introduction of the new female tournament follows two pilot AFC Women’s Club Championships, organised by the governing body in 2021 and 2022 and with a third edition to be held later this year.

Starting off as an invitational tournament, the new competition will be open to all AFC member associations.

Announcing the new competition, AFC President, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa advised “the AFC Women’s Champions League is a major step aligned with our strategy to provide a platform to showcase the talent of women players on a continental stage.

“We are confident that the competition will empower women in Asian football, contributing to gender equality and breaking down societal barriers, to make a positive impact on the growth of the women’s game.”

The AFC has also revealed the restructuring of its men’s club competitions, unveiling the names of three club competitions.

The top-tier competition has been named ‘AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE)’ and will feature 24 teams.

The second tier will be called AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2), featuring 32 teams and the third tier will be known as AFC Challenge League (ACGL), with 20 teams in action.

The winners of the top-tier competition will receive a total of US$12 million, up from the US$4 million that the champions will receive this season.

Shiekh Salman added “our club competitions are already amongst the best and most lucrative in continental football, and today the AFC is embarking on a new and historic era with these forward-looking initiatives in both men’s and women’s Asian club football.

“The AFC has outlined its ambitions to ensure our teams and players continue to shine through world-class competitions and a major part of this ambition is anchored on our promise to reinvest in our competitions, which is the lifeblood of development for all our Member Associations.

“The AFC has always held the belief that we have a duty to reward success and the increase in prize money and the travel contributions in recent years created a lasting impact on our clubs and we have every faith that the strategic reforms and the new funding model will further raise the intensity, stature and quality of the Asian club game.”

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